Signors of one-third to w



(NO Model.)

2 Sheet sSheet 1.

J. F. 8v W. J. ROWLEY.

GAR COUPLING.

No. 359,577. Patented Mar. 15, 1887.

(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2. 7 J. F. & W. J. ROWLEY. I GAR COUPLING.N0. 359,577. Patented-Mar. .15, 1887.

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UNITED STATES PATENT DFFIGE.

JAMES F. ROXVLEY AND WILLIAM J. ROi/VLEY, OF DES MOINES, IONVA, AS-SIGNOBS OF' ONE-THIRD TO V. F. CARSON, OF SAME PLACE.

CAR-COUPLING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 359,577, dated March15, 1887.

Application filed Dscemher 27, 188d. Serial No. 222,724. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, JAMES F. ROWLEY and WILLIAM J. RowLEY, citizens ofthe United States of America, and residents of Des Moines, in the countyof Polk and State of Iowa, have invented an Automatic Oar-Coupling, ofwhich the following is a specification.

'Our invention consists in the construction and combination of adrawhead, a couplinglink, link-retaining jaws, and jaw-operatingmechanism, as hereinafter set forth, pointed out in our claims, and.illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure l is a viewof the under side of our draw-head and the jawgoverning device combinedtherewith. ,Fig. 2is a perspective view of the draw-head, showing onelink in a suspended vertical position and a second link in a horizontalposition andengaged by the upper jaw, as required when two cars arecoupled together. Fig. 3 is a longitudinal vertical sectional view ofthe draw-head, showing the jaws combined therewith. Fig. 4 is a top viewof the draw-head, upper jaw, and a link combined therewith and inposition as required to engage a mating draw-head. Fig. 5 is a side viewrepresenting two cars coupled together and one of the links in asuspended position upon the jaw that engages the other link.

A is the body of the draw-head. It may vary in form, as required, toadapt it to be attached to cars of different kinds.

A is the head, formed integral with the body, open at its top, andprovided witlra single lip or inclined plane, A

b is a link-cavity that extends vertically through the head.

b is a projection that extends rearward into the link-cavity from thefront portion of the head.

b is a vertical slot that extends rearward from the rear side of thelink-cavity I) to admit the rear end of the upper jaw and a lever foroperating the jaw.

c is a vertical and central opening, immediately in rear of the lip orinclined plane A to admit the lower jaw.

d is the upper jaw, pivoted at its rear end within the slot 12 in such amanner that the point of its hook-shaped front end will, in its 7 normalcondition, rest in the open top of the cavity 0, as clearly shown inFig. 1. The front face of this npperjaw inclines in an oppositedirection from the inclined lip A of the drawhead in such a manner thatwhen the free end of a coupling-link comes in contact therewith it willlift the jaw and pass rearward under the jaw to let the point d of thejaw drop through the link, as clearly shown in Fig. 2.

d is a shoulder on the under side of the jaw, that engages theprojection b in the link-cavity b and relieves the pivot d' from strain.

f is the under jaw fitted in the cavity 0. Its top end has bevelededges, that facilitate the passage of a linle backward and forwardbetween the jaws, as required, in coupling and uncoupling. Its lower endis pivoted to a frame, 9, that is fitted in the enlarged lower end ofthe link-cavity and rigidly fixed to a lever, h, that is pivoted in thelower side of the link-cavity, as clearly shown in Fig. 1.

J is a rock-shaft in bearings fixed to the car. It has a right-angledbend at its center that overlaps the free end of the lever h in such amanner that when the shaft is rocked by means of handles on its ends itwill depress the rear end of the lever and elevate the i'rontend, andthereby move the under jaw, f, upward th rough the opening 0, for thepurpose of lifting the upper jaw as required to let a link escape fromthe hook-shaped end of the upper jaw.

m is an open link bent at right angles at one end, as clearly shown inFig. 5. One of the links at is placed 011 each draw-head on each end ofeach car in such a manner that the bent end will extend down through thelink-cavity b and encircle the projection b and the body of the linkextend forward over the inclined lip A of the drawhead, as clearly shownin Fig. 4-

Whenever two cars thus equipped come together on a track, one of thefree ends of the two links projecting toward each other will pass underthe other and come in contact with the inclined lip A and slide upwardthereon, and then come in contact with the oppositely inclined face ofthe upper jaw and lift it and slip under; and as the underlink is thusraised to slip under the upper jaw, it tilts the upper ICU link in sucha manner that the free front end of the link will stride the upper jawand hang suspended therefrom, as clearly shown in Fig. 5, so that theweight of the link will aid in retaining the gravitating jaw depressedas required to retain the link through which the hook-shaped end of thejaw has dropped. By'

the reciprocal action of the two links two cars are thus auton'latieallyand securely coupled.

To nneouple it is only necessary for a person at either side of the carto rock the shaft J so that the bend at its center will depress the rearend of the lever h and thereby elevate the under jaw in the opening a,as re quired, to lift the hookshaped end of the up per jaw out of thelink.

\Ve claim as our invention- 1. A draw-head for car-couplings having asingle lip or inclined plane at its front end, a vertical and centralopening in rear of said lip 01 inclined plane, and a vertical andcentral open-bottomed and open-topped link-cavity, and a centralprojection extending rearward from the front of said linleeavity, forthe purp oscs stated.

2. The draw-head A", having a body or lateral extension, A, and aninclined lip, A a link-cavity, b, a projection, b, a slot, 1), and anopening, 0', ajaw, (Z, having a hook-shaped end, (1, and a movablejaw,f,constructed and combined to operate in the manner set forth.

3. The hook-shaped jaw (I, having a shoulder, (Z,in combination with adraw head having a projection, I), for the purposes stated.

4. The combination ofajaw, f,with a drawhead having an opening, 0, andmechanism connected with the lower end of the jaw and the under side ofthe draw-head for lifting the jaw, for the purposes stated.

5. The combination of the jaw (I, having a hook-shaped end, (1',thejawf, connected with a lifting device, and a d raw-head having aninclined lip, A and an opening, 0, for the purposes stated.

6. The frame r fixed to the lever h, and the jaw f, in combination witha draw-head having an opening in its bottom to admit the said frame 9and an opening to admit the said jaw f, for the purposes stated.

7. The rock-shaft J, having a lateral bend or projection at its center,in combination with a car and the lever 71, pivoted to the bottom of thedraw-head, for the purposes stated.

8. The draw-head A A, having an inclined lip, A, a link-cavity, b, aprojection, b. aslot, b, and an opening, 0', ajaw, d, having ahookshaped end, (1, ajaw,f, a frame, 9, a lever, h, a rock-shaft, J, anda bent link, m, constructed, arranged,and combined with a car, tooperate in the manner set forth.

9. Aeonpling-link bent at right angles at one ofits ends, in combinationwith a drawhead having an open-topped and open-bottomed link-cavity anda jaw or hook extending forward over said link-cavity, to operate in themanner set forth.

10. An automatic car-coupling consisting of a drawhead that has a singleinclined lip adapted to direct a coupling link upward and an open-toppedand open-bottomed linkeavity, a gravitating and hook-shaped jawextending forward over said link-cavity, ajaw moving vertically in anopening in the drawhead to engage the mating jaw, mechanism for liftingthe said vertically-moving jaw, and an open link bent at right angles atone end, ar ranged and combined with a car, to operate in the manner setforth.

JAMES F. ROWLEY. WILLIAM J. ROWLEY.

Witnesses:

G. U. STILES, TnouAs G. ORWIG.

